A helicopter now grounded in Effingham was one of the props used by actor Tom Cruise just weeks earlier during filming for his next Hollywood blockbuster.

The former military chopper bought earlier this month by Delta Force Paintball for its Surrey site was used during the filming of science fiction movie Edge of Tomorrow.

Once used by the Army Air Corps and Royal Marines, the Westland Lynx aircraft now provides a ‘war-zone’ feel to the paintball centre’s entrance area, which already has structures from Star Wars, London taxis and a pyramid in its various game zones.

Delta Force’s e-marketing manager, Oliver Gillies, said: “It’s such a spectacle and helps to add to our scenery based around the potential military connotations of paintball.

“Someone was saying they had seen Tom Cruise sitting right by it during filming. I said ‘why didn’t you get a picture?'."